Greater Things: Greater Obedience
Quick Glance: For Your Heart Today
This week, South Bay joyfully welcomed home one of its own—Pastor Bryan Murphy, former lead pastor of South Bay Community Church. With warmth and gratitude, our church family celebrated his return as he delivered a powerful message on the critical importance of obedience in our faith walk.
Preaching from Luke 5:1–11, Pastor Bryan unpacked the moment when Jesus taught Simon Peter—an expert fisherman—how to fish, revealing that sometimes Jesus calls us back to familiar places to learn faith, not just to find success. His challenge was clear: greater things come through obedience, and God often uses our “empty nets” to prepare us for deeper trust.
As we celebrate our 40th year as a church, Pastor Bryan reminded us that the number 40 in Scripture represents preparation and transformation—from Moses and Elijah to Jesus Himself. The question he left with us was simple yet profound: What has God been preparing us for?
3 Takeaways
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Speak, Lord...
Exhale: I will obey and follow.
This week, South Bay joyfully welcomed home one of its own—Pastor Bryan Murphy, former lead pastor of South Bay Community Church. With warmth and gratitude, our church family celebrated his return as he delivered a powerful message on the critical importance of obedience in our faith walk.
Preaching from Luke 5:1–11, Pastor Bryan unpacked the moment when Jesus taught Simon Peter—an expert fisherman—how to fish, revealing that sometimes Jesus calls us back to familiar places to learn faith, not just to find success. His challenge was clear: greater things come through obedience, and God often uses our “empty nets” to prepare us for deeper trust.
As we celebrate our 40th year as a church, Pastor Bryan reminded us that the number 40 in Scripture represents preparation and transformation—from Moses and Elijah to Jesus Himself. The question he left with us was simple yet profound: What has God been preparing us for?
3 Takeaways
- Faith Over Frustration – Like Simon Peter, we often see problems in terms of lack, but Jesus sees them as opportunities to grow our faith.
- Obedience Unlocks the Blessing – God sometimes sends us “back where we came from” so we can hear the message, receive the lesson, and experience the miracle.
- Preparation Precedes Purpose – Just as “40” marked seasons of divine preparation in Scripture, God is preparing us for what’s next—if we’ll obey His voice.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Speak, Lord...
Exhale: I will obey and follow.
Sermon Summary
Our South Bay Community Church family was positively thrilled to welcome back one of its sons, Pastor Bryan Murphy, former lead pastor at South Bay. Pastor Bryan was received with the warmth befitting the high esteem in which he is regarded by his South Bay family. The electricity of the moment was palpable as Pastor Bryan delivered his message about the critical importance of obedience in our faith walk. Preaching from Luke 5: 1-11, Pastor Murphy used the story of Jesus teaching Simon (Peter), an expert fisherman, how to fish.
“Has Jesus ever bothered you while you were doing something else, just minding your own business?” Pastor Bryan posed this question to illustrate the innocent nature of the exchange between Jesus and Simon. Simon had been fishing all night, into the morning, with no luck. As this was his means of survival, the prospect of having no fish for all of his efforts left Simon in a sour—if not outright bitter--state. Pastor Bryan supposed that Simon might have even wondered if there was any hope at all for happiness as the Jews were at that time living under the crushing thumb of Roman law. He might have even wondered how long they would have to endure, and suffer the state of affairs that dictated the struggles of their everyday lives.
When Jesus came along and suggested that they go back out and cast Simon’s nets “farther out this time,” Simon could not make this make sense. The man who fished daily for a living knew the waters well, and knew that casting out the nets that he had just taken the time to clean, would be futile. But, Pastor Bryan added, the two men saw the issue from two different vantage points: Simon saw his issue as having no fish, and all of the consequences that would come with this. Jesus, however, saw Simon’s issue has having no faith, and all of the consequences that would come with this. Simon’s frustration with his situation was not allowing Jesus’s message to land adequately. Although Simon was hearing Jesus’s words, he was not listening to Jesus’s words, which made it difficult for him to demonstrate OBEDIENCE to Jesus in that moment. “Jesus will (sometimes) send you back to where you came from to get the message—and the blessing!” With this declaration, Pastor Bryan moved to the bottom line of his message: “Where does God want you to go back to? How many times does Jesus try to get in our boat with us, only to have us resist?” He reminded us that we need to be actively inviting Jesus INTO our business. Greater things will come with obedience, which is trusting Jesus with ALL that we hold dear. Pastor Bryan left us with this gem: “It is a beautiful thing to be in the hands of a loving God.” He challenged us to consider Jesus’s. “Come, follow Me”, not as a command, but an invitation, a call to obedience for the purpose of transformation.
Pastor Bryan noted the significance of this being SBCC’s 40th Anniversary against the use of 40 in the Bible: There were 40 days of rain. Moses spent 40 days on the mountain. He spent 40 years in the wilderness. Elijah’s show down at Mount Horeb. Moses spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness (desert), and 40 years leading Israel. Jesus fasted for 40 days before showing Himself for 40 days after His resurrection.
With 40 being a time of preparation, Pastor Bryan challenged us to consider what has God been preparing us for?
Our South Bay Community Church family was positively thrilled to welcome back one of its sons, Pastor Bryan Murphy, former lead pastor at South Bay. Pastor Bryan was received with the warmth befitting the high esteem in which he is regarded by his South Bay family. The electricity of the moment was palpable as Pastor Bryan delivered his message about the critical importance of obedience in our faith walk. Preaching from Luke 5: 1-11, Pastor Murphy used the story of Jesus teaching Simon (Peter), an expert fisherman, how to fish.
“Has Jesus ever bothered you while you were doing something else, just minding your own business?” Pastor Bryan posed this question to illustrate the innocent nature of the exchange between Jesus and Simon. Simon had been fishing all night, into the morning, with no luck. As this was his means of survival, the prospect of having no fish for all of his efforts left Simon in a sour—if not outright bitter--state. Pastor Bryan supposed that Simon might have even wondered if there was any hope at all for happiness as the Jews were at that time living under the crushing thumb of Roman law. He might have even wondered how long they would have to endure, and suffer the state of affairs that dictated the struggles of their everyday lives.
When Jesus came along and suggested that they go back out and cast Simon’s nets “farther out this time,” Simon could not make this make sense. The man who fished daily for a living knew the waters well, and knew that casting out the nets that he had just taken the time to clean, would be futile. But, Pastor Bryan added, the two men saw the issue from two different vantage points: Simon saw his issue as having no fish, and all of the consequences that would come with this. Jesus, however, saw Simon’s issue has having no faith, and all of the consequences that would come with this. Simon’s frustration with his situation was not allowing Jesus’s message to land adequately. Although Simon was hearing Jesus’s words, he was not listening to Jesus’s words, which made it difficult for him to demonstrate OBEDIENCE to Jesus in that moment. “Jesus will (sometimes) send you back to where you came from to get the message—and the blessing!” With this declaration, Pastor Bryan moved to the bottom line of his message: “Where does God want you to go back to? How many times does Jesus try to get in our boat with us, only to have us resist?” He reminded us that we need to be actively inviting Jesus INTO our business. Greater things will come with obedience, which is trusting Jesus with ALL that we hold dear. Pastor Bryan left us with this gem: “It is a beautiful thing to be in the hands of a loving God.” He challenged us to consider Jesus’s. “Come, follow Me”, not as a command, but an invitation, a call to obedience for the purpose of transformation.
Pastor Bryan noted the significance of this being SBCC’s 40th Anniversary against the use of 40 in the Bible: There were 40 days of rain. Moses spent 40 days on the mountain. He spent 40 years in the wilderness. Elijah’s show down at Mount Horeb. Moses spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness (desert), and 40 years leading Israel. Jesus fasted for 40 days before showing Himself for 40 days after His resurrection.
With 40 being a time of preparation, Pastor Bryan challenged us to consider what has God been preparing us for?
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